Taxi Driver Online

Taxi driver found guilty of raping Greenock woman in Edinburgh

https://www.greenocktelegraph.co.uk/new ... edinburgh/

Abdul Nabizada, 35, preyed on his female passenger during a journey in Edinburgh in 2021.

Jurors at the High Court in the city heard how Nabizada didn’t take the woman back to her address in the city after a night out.

Instead, he took her to a secluded area in the city’s Joppa area and subjected her to a horrifying ordeal.

The court heard how the accused detained the girl against her will, seized her mobile phone from her possession before touching her body and struggled with her. He then raped her.

Nabizada denied any wrongdoing. He told jurors about how he came to Scotland and after working for the US, Danish and UK militaries in his Afghan homeland.
But jurors didn’t believe his claim and returned a unanimous guilty verdict on a charge of rape against him late on Tuesday afternoon.

Judge John Morris KC heard that he was a first offender and he called for a report into Nabizada’s background to be prepared ahead of a sentencing hearing next month.

He added: “Your name will be added to the Sex Offenders Register.”

The story emerged following the end of a three-day trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.

The court heard how Nabizada's victim, originally from Greenock, had gone on a night out with friends in Edinburgh in 2021, but had decided to leave early.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court that Nabizada picked her up in Morrison Street, Edinburgh and started driving her.

She told the court of how the accused had made her feel uncomfortable during the journey.

She said: “He asked me to have sex with him. I said no. I had a boyfriend.”

The woman told the court that Nabizada persisted in asking her to have intercourse.

She added: “He said ‘can we have sex’. He said it would be quick and it would take five minutes. I said no. I had a boyfriend. He kept on apologising.
“He asked more than once.”

She told the court that following the attack, she ran from Nabizada’s taxi and ran towards some nearby bushes where she hid.

The court heard she later notified a loved one about what had happened.

Nabizada said he came to the UK in 2016 after working as a translator for various western militaries.

The court heard that he lived in Pilton Park, Edinburgh,.

He added: “I had the choice of coming to the US, the UK or Denmark. I chose to come to Britain.”

He said he was married and had previously worked as a tailor in his homeland.

He added: “I am a native Farsi speaker. I can speak Dari, Pashto, Urdu and I understand Arabic. “I also speak English.”

Following Nabizada's conviction, prosecutor Leanne Cross told the court that the accused had no previous convictions.

Defence lawyer David Taylor told Judge Morris that since his client was a first offender, the court was obliged to obtain a background report on Nabizada.

He added: “Mr Nabizada has been made well aware that in the event of conviction that the only sentence which can be imposed and that will be a custodial sentence.”

Judge Morris then remanded the accused in custody and thanked jurors for their service.

Nabizada will be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on August 11, 2026.

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IDFIMH

There's a ton of news articles about this one today

But this is the official news release from the prosecutor:


Private hire taxi driver who raped teenage passenger jailed

A private hire taxi driver who raped a teenage passenger after picking her up from a night out in Edinburgh has been jailed.

Date published:11 Aug 2026

Abdul Nabizada was found guilty of rape at the High Court in Edinburgh on 7 July 2026.

The trial heard how the 19-year-old woman entered his taxi in the early hours of 13 November 2021 after it appeared to be the vehicle she had booked.

Rather than taking her home safely, Nabizada, now 36, took her mobile phone from her and drove to a secluded area in Joppa where he raped her.

The victim managed to escape from the vehicle and contacted friends, who found her distressed and frightened a short time later.

CCTV footage from Queens Bay Crescent then showed Nabizada repeatedly returning to the area after the attack.

The conviction followed an extensive Police Scotland investigation.

Officers had to identify the offender despite there being no legitimate booking record linking the victim to Nabizada.

Investigators gathered and analysed evidence from multiple sources, including CCTV footage, mobile phone data and witness testimony.

This helped establish the movements of both the victim and the offender, helping to build the case presented at trial.

Forensic analysis also found Nabizada's DNA on the victim's clothing, providing further evidence to support the Crown case.

On 11 August 2026, the taxi driver was jailed for seven years at the same court.

His name has been added to the sex offenders register indefinitely and a non-harassment order was also granted.

Faye Cook, Procurator Fiscal for High Court Sexual Offences, said:

"This conviction is the result of the victim's courage in coming forward and the determined work of police officers to uncover what happened that night.

"Officers had to piece together evidence from a range of sources to identify the offender and build the case that was presented in court.

"The victim should have been able to trust that her journey home would be safe.

"Instead, she was seriously sexually assaulted by a taxi driver who took advantage of her vulnerability and abused his position, resulting in a deeply traumatic experience.

"While stranger offending is rare, Scotland's prosecutors treat every report of sexual abuse with the utmost seriousness, recognising the profound and lasting impact these crimes have on victims and communities.

"I hope this conviction provides reassurance that reports will be thoroughly investigated and that COPFS will work with policing partners to ensure offenders are held accountable."

Can't argue with that, but some may point out that if she had got in the car she booked, or a cab off the rank, the chances of her getting home safely would have improved vastly.

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IDFIMH

That's what I meant to say earlier, Sussex - and as per the points I've made umpteen times before.

I mean, how and why, precisely, did she get into the car after it 'appeared to be the vehicle she had booked'?

If the authorities want to prevent this kind of thing happening, then surely they need to look into the detail of that?